Lee Johnson has given an update on Sunderland's long injury list, but remains positive about the squad as a whole...
WAITING
"There are a couple we are waiting on. I won't reveal who, but there are a couple."
STRONG SIDE
"Without doubt, though, our XI will be strong and we will have two or three senior players available on the bench, and then there will be three or four younger players with an opportunity to soak in the environment and come on if need be."
EMBLETON/DAJAKU
"Elliot and Leon played in midweek, and they came off at halftime but we hadn't planned on them playing the full game. They are both fine."
NOT GOOD
"It's not good, there's no doubting that. It's been a really difficult set of circumstances, but I think a lot of clubs are finding the same problem. We are not a million miles away from having a couple back, though, and if we can get through the next couple of games without any more injuries then it will start to look a lot healthier when the likes of Corry Evans, Denver Hume, and Dennis Cirkin come back, because that will enable us to give a couple of the others a bit of a breather."
TRANSFERS
"Those conversations [about transfers] are always continuing, but obviously they become slightly more intense as you move towards the window. A good recruitment department should be looking one or two windows ahead, and that's where we are trying to get. A lot of work has had to be done in terms of turnaround of players, and I think we are in a really good position."
GOOD POSITION
"We're in a good position to strengthen again in January, and that doesn't necessarily mean throwing fortunes at it, it might mean manipulating the current squad or bringing players like Jack Diamond and Josh Hawkes back from loan. We've got a lot of options, but the main thing is that the players we have got, we want to keep as fit and as sharp for as long as possible."
